Jina is a consultant and speaker on diversity, inclusion, culture, and belonging. She creates training programs and workshops to help clients move forward in their D&I journey. She is a storyteller and speaks candidly about her experiences, hard lessons, and ‘aha’ moments that helped her understand the importance of individuality, the value of curiosity, and the courage it takes to “just” be yourself. Often described as “approachable” and “relatable” by her clients, she works with purpose and the intention of being engaging, practical, and immediately applicable to real-world situations. Jina draws from her unique background and mix of work experiences to offer examples and share insights designed to benefit everyone across the workplace ecosystem – executives, management, employees, and customers.

Previously, she was Principal Consultant at EtiennePartners (EP), a boutique consulting firm that offered a unique strategy development, workshops & coaching to leaders, executives and entrepreneurs. Co-founded with her husband, EP was a full-time partnership in both work and life. Although in different professions, their work often intersected around the importance of self-awareness in leadership and navigating conflict within teams. Combining their experiences, backgrounds, and work led to the development of their unique approach to D&I, which she continues to use in her practice today.

   

Leah Smiley, CDE®, is the Founder and President of the Society for Diversity Inc., a global Education Technology (EdTech) firm that specializes in next generation management practices and professional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Certification. As a LinkedIn “All-Star”, Mrs. Smiley has facilitated hundreds of presentations for more than 10,000 professionals and executives around the world, as well as consulted with over 100 organizations. The Society for Diversity was recognized twice on the 2022 and 2023 Inc. 5000 listing as one of the fastest growing companies in the Midwest.  

With more than 15 years of experience in the DEI field, as well as 25+ years as a master of training and organizational development, Mrs. Smiley is considered to be a DEI industry thought-leader. Through the Society for Diversity's subsidiary, the Institute for Diversity Certification (IDC)®, Mrs. Smiley has helped thousands of DEI leaders achieve their dreams 50+ U.S. states and over 30+ other countries by conferring the industry-recognized Certified Diversity Professional (CDP)® and Certified Diversity Executive (CDE)® credentials. IDC is a member of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence and is currently pursuing accreditation through the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). Further, the Society for Diversity has registered IDC’s extensive catalog of intellectual property with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Mrs. Smiley's work has been featured on international and national radio and television programs, as well as in Forbes, Fortune and Entrepreneur Magazines. Additionally, her work has been reported in the USA Today, Huffington Post, Business Insurance, The Indianapolis Star, The Indianapolis Business Journal, Indiana Minority Business Magazine, Associations Now, Franchising World Magazine, MEA Magazine, The Lexington Herald Leader, The Philadelphia Tribune, The Philadelphia Business Journal, Naples Daily News, The City Sentinel, Lee and Low Books, and more. She was also quoted in "The Inclusion Revolution Is Now: An Innovative Framework for Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace" by Maura G. Robinson and published by iUniverse. 

Smiley has a blended family and lives in Indianapolis with her husband, whom she met while they were both political science majors at Hampton University. She also holds a Certified Diversity Executive (CDE)® designation from the Institute for Diversity Certification (IDC)®.